Boring rifler



1941' s. G. RUDDELL ETAL I 2,223,709

BORING RIFLER v Filed Nov. 4 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mrmfans 5. G .Rudde/l7'. Fraser Patented Jan. 14, 1941 PATENT. OFFICE BORING RIFLER Stuart G.Ruddell and Thomas Fraser,

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Application November 4, 1938, Serial No.238,864 In Canada December 4, 1937 10 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in earth boring riflers, an objectof the invention being to provide a device of the character hereinafterto be described which will rifle or in other words, out, a spiralrecess, or a plurality of spiral recesses upon the cylindrical wall of avertical earth boring used for the purpose of receiving a cast-in-placeconcrete pile and especially for rifling the boring above thefrusto-conical form made by the use of the implement defined in ourCanadian Patent No. 368,164.

A further object of our invention is to provide an implement of thecharacter herewithin described which is economical to construct andmaintain and which cannot easily become out of order.

A further object of our invention is to provide a rifier of; thecharacter to be hereinafter described which may be lowered by means of acable into a cylindrical boring, the act of raising the same being tocause a plurality of pivoted riflers to project radially from thevertical axis of the same and cut into the wall during its upward travelof the implement, the cutting blade of each rifler being set at such anangle as will cause the implement to rotate upon its upward travel andwill cause each of the rifiers to incise a spiral recess upon the wallof the boring.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device of thecharacter herewithin described in which a cylindrical earth catching bagis suspended from the bottom of the rifling implement and movessimultaneously therewith.

A further object of our present invention is to provide a device of thecharacter herewithin described in which means are provided forpreventing the breakage of the blades thereof due to encountering someunusually hard obstacle during the rifling operation.

With the above more important objects in view and such other minorobjects as may appear as the specification proceeds, our inventionconsists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all ashereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective illustration of my rifling implement.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of my rifling implement with bag attachedin situ in an earth boring.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

In the art of underpinning buildings and other structures by our use ofthe process which consists in excavating a cylindrical boring A to acertain depth below ground level, some controversy exists as to (1)whether the greatest support is provided for a superimposed structure by5 means of forming a broad base for the concrete which is poured intothe drilling, (2) whether the boring should be drilled down to bed-rockso that the base of the concrete pier rests thereupon or (3) whether thebest results are obtained by prol0 Viding the maximum amount of frictionas between the concrete pier formed within the drilling and thesurrounding earth wall, the implements to be hereinafter described beingdesigned to rifle the wall of the boring for this latter 5 purpose.

Our invention accordingly consists ofa body portion l, upon which theremaining members of our invention are secured, and comprises avertically disposed shank 2, of rectangular cross-sec-' tion, to thebase of which the mid-portion of a horizontally extending cross member 3is secured integrally, the outer ends'of said cross member beingsimilarly formed integrally with a pair of substantially verticallydisposed guide elements 4, the upper and lower ends of which areinturned slightly to preclude the possibility of snagging in the wallsof an earth boring A. In addition, a pair of eyelets 5 are secured tothe underside and adjacent the outer ends of the cross member 3, and asimilar pair of eyelets 6 are secured in, horizontally opposedrelationship upon the relatively narrow edges I of the upper portion ofthe shankl.

The upper end of the shank I is formed into a threaded bolt 1 upon whichthe Vertically disposed bearing 8 forming the hub of the guide ring 9,is rotatably mounted and secured in place by the nut Ill. A pair of barsll secured integrally at their outer ends to the inner surface of 0 thering 9, extend diametrically in parallel spaced relationship across saidring and are formed integrally at their mid-portions with the bearing 8.Upon diametrically opposite ends of the bars ll are formed a pair ofeyelets l2, in which are received the divergent lower ends of the hangerl3, the converging upper portion of which is formed into a cableattaching ring I l.

The rifiing blade supporting member I5 consisting of two parallel plates16 positioned apart upon opposite sides of the lower portion of theshank I, is fulcrumed centrally upon the 'bolt I! extending through saidshank, and is provided with a pair of eyelets l8 secured uponoppositeends of said member l5, one upon each of the plates I5. Tomaintain the rifling blade supporting member l5 normally in a horizontalposition, while at the same time permitting the same to give understrain, we provide a pair of shock absorbing links I9, each extendingbetween one of the eyelets l8 and the adjacent eyelet 6 upon the shank 2and consisting of a chain link and tension spring 2 I.

A pair of outwardly projecting rifiers 22 are mounted upon opposite endsof the member l5, the shank portion 23 thereof being positioned betweenthe plates l6 and provided at their inner ends with suitable drill holeswhereby they are pivotally mounted upon the bolts 24 extending betweenthe plates [8. The rifling blades proper 22, are formed integrally withthe outer ends of the shank portions 23, and will be seen to be of aU-shaped configuration, having the upper edges 22' bevel sharpenedinwardly. The outer portion of the shanks 23 are swaged such that themajor axes of the blades are obliquely disposed to the horizontal andthe free ends 22" of the .cutting edges 22 are raised above theremainder thereof. This latter point has been found of importance inpreventing breakage of this type of blade. The

blades are prevented from falling below the horizontal by a pair of lugs25 formed integrally with the upper edges of the shank portions 23 andengageable with the upper edges of the plates I6. Also, to preclude thepossibility of the blades failing to return to their normal horizontalposition after being pushed upwardly and inwardly, as is necessary whenlowering theimplement into a boring, we provide a pair of relativelysmall tension springs 26 extending diagonally between the base of theshank 2 and the under edges of the shank portions 23 of said blades.

Apart from the riding implement, an earth catching receptacle 21 isprovided and consists of a bag retaining frame 21 comprising a pluralityof vertically disposed rods 28 secured in equispaced relationship attheir upper ends about the circumference of a ring 29 and at their lowerends about the perimeter of a circular plate 30 within which ispositioned a cylindrical fabric bag 3 I, the edges of the open mouth ofwhich are secured to the ring 29. In operation, the receptacle .21 issecured below the rifling implement by a pair of chain links 32, whichare secured at their upper ends to the eyelets 5 and at their lower endsto the ring 29, at diametrically opposite points thereupon.

The structure and arrangement of the various parts of our inventionhaving been described, its mode of operation will now be explained.

With more particular reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings,this consists essentially of attaching the receptacle 2'! to the rifiingimplement in the manner described, and then by means of a cable 33attached to the ring 14, lowering the whole assembly, receptacle first,into an earth boring A until'said receptacle rests upon the basethereof. While travelling downwardly,

the rifiers 22 pivot upwardly and inwardly upon the bolts 24 and aremaintained only slightly in contact with the wall of the boring by thesprings 26. However, when the motion is reversed and the whole assemblyispulled up to the surface, the blades of the rifiers 22 immediately diginto the walls of the boring and cut out U-shaped strips of material, atthe same time, due to their obliquity, swivelling about the point ofpivotal suspension of the body I in the bearings 8.

"Therefore as the whole assembly is drawn upwards, in this case, a pairof spiral grooves 34 will be cut in the wall of the boring and thematerial cut from the wall will be caught in the bag 3|.

After the wall of the boring is rifled in the manner described above,the rifiers 22 used are replaced by a pair having the blades reverselyangled, and the process repeated, whereupon the grooves 34' formed inthe boring Wall this time will spiral in the opposite direction.

This method has been found most satisfactory, but obviously, if for anyreason it is found desirable, the oppositely spiralling grooves may beformed simultaneously in the wall of the boring by pivotally couplingtogether two rifling implements, in which the rifiers of one implementare oppositely skewed to those of the other. The earth receivingreceptacle is then attached to the lower implement and the processexecuted in the usual manner.

At this point, it may be pointed out that the one body portion 1 of therifiing implement may be used for rifiing borings of various diameter,by simply substituting rifiers of a suitable length and receptacles andring guides of suitable diameter. It is also of importance to note thatthe rifling bladesupporting member [5 is cut off obliquely at its outerends and is open at the top and bottom, as this structure prevents mudfrom catching in between the plates l6 and interfering with the actionof the riflers 22.

After the rifling of the walls of the boring is completed, the boring isthen filled with concrete, which when set, due to the frictionalresistance of the oppositely spiralling fins formed in the grooves cutby the rifiers, forms a pier which will not slip under loads muchgreater than similarly sized piers of other designs.

Since various modifications can be made in the above invention, and manyapparently widely different embodiments of same, made within the scopeof the claims without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it isintended that all matter contained in the accompanying specificationshall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting senseand we desire only such limitations placed thereon as are specificallyexpressed in the accompanying claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. An implement for cutting a spiral groove in the cylindrical wall ofan earth boring designed to receive a cast-in-place concrete pile, saidimplement consisting of a body portion, a cable being secured-theretofor raising and lowering said implement within said boring, saidimplement being rotatably secured to the end of said cable, a pair ofdiametrically opposed rifling element upon said body portion, obliquelydisposed cutting blades at the outer end .of each element, said bladesbeing designed to project into the wall of a cylindrical earth boringand being caused to rotate ,due to their obliquity upon the applicationof an upward force applied to'said cable and upon said body portion,thus cutting a pair of spiral recesses upon the wall of said boring.

2. An implement for forming a pair of spiral recesses in the cylindricalwall of an earth boring designed to receive a cast-in-place concretepile, consisting of a body portion, said body portion being secured tothe end of a cable whereby the same may be raised or lowered within saidboring, a pair of recess forming elements upon said body portion, theouter ends of said recess or groove forming elements being angulatedbetween and 45 with respect to the longitudinal axis of said boring, thedirection of inclination upon the end of one element being opposite tothat of the other element when viewed together from one side, saidelements being designed to move outwardly at any desired point withinthe depth of said boring and project into the wall thereof, the samebeing caused to rotate upon the applica tion of an upward force uponsaid implement due to the angulation thereof with respect to thevertical axis of said boring.

3. The implement as defined in claim 2 in which said elements arepivotally attached to said body portion, being designed to rest againstthe wall of said boring upon the lowering of said implement thereintoand being designed to project outwardly and into the wall of said boringupon the application of an upward force upon said implement.

4. An implement for cutting a spiral groove in the cylindrical wall of aboring formed to receive a cast-in-place concrete pile, said implementconsisting of a body portion rotatably secured to the end of a cable, apair of diametrically disposed cutting elements upon said body portion,a cutting blade being provided upon the outer end of each of saidelements, said cutting blades being angulated between 0 and 45 withrespect to the longitudinal axis of said boring, the direction ofangulation of the blades of one of said elements being reversed withrespect to the direction of angulation of the blade upon the otherelement when viewed together from one side, said elements beingpivotally secured upon said body portion and designed to bear lightlyagainst the wall of said boring upon the lowering of said implement butbeing caused to project into the wall thereof upon the raising of saidimplement and to cut a spiral groove upon the wall thereof upon theapplication of an upward force upon the implement due to the angulationof said blades.

5. The device as defined in claim 1 which includes means for permittingsaid rifiing elements to yield upon encountering obstacles in theirpath.

6. In the device as defined in claim 1, a rifiing element supportingmember, said elements bein mounted upon diametrically opposed endsthereof, said member being centrally fulcrumed upon said body portionand means for maintaining said member in a horizontal position duringnormal operation.

7. An implement for forming a pair. of spiral grooves in the cylindricalwall of an earth boring designed to receive a cast-in-place concretepile, comprising a body portion, a guide element pivotally secured uponthe upper end of said body portion and attached to the lower end of acable,

, a rifling element supporting member comprising a pair of parallelplates spaced apart and centrally fulcrumed upon the lower end of saidbody portion, a pair of diametrically opposed rifling elements pivotallymounted between said plates, .the outer ends of said elements beingformed into obliquely disposed groove cutting blades, means forpreventing the movement of said rifling elements below the horizontal, apair of resilient shock absorbing links, each of said links extendingbetween said body portion and an outer end of said rifiing elementsupporting member, thereby maintaining said member normally in ahorizontal position.

8. The device as defined in claim 7 in which spring means are providedfor returning said rifiing elements downwardly to the horizontal and inwhich a loose material receiving receptacle is suspended below saidimplement and designed to move simultaneously therewith.

9. An implement for forming a pair of spiral grooves in the cylindricalwall of an earth boring designed .to receive a cast-in-place concretepile, comprising a body portion consisting of a vertically disposedshank and a pair of vertically disposed guide members spaced apart inthe lower end of said shank, a guide ring pivotally secured upon theupper end of said shank and attached to the lower end of a cable, arifier supporting member consisting of a pair of spaced parallel platescentrally fulcrumed upon a bolt extending through the lower portion ofsaid shank, a pair of resilient shock absorbing links, each of saidlinks comprising a chain and a tension spring and extending diagonallybetween the upper portion of said shank and an outer end of said rifiersupporting member, thereby maintaining said rifler supporting membernormally in a horizontal position, a pair of diametrically opposedrifiers, each of said rifiers consisting of a shank portion and bladeportion, said shank portion being pivotally secured at its inner endupon a bolt-extending between said plates, said blade portion having itscentral axis obliquely disposed to the horizontal and being formedintegrally with the outer end of said shank portion, lugs formedintegrally upon the upper edges of said rifiers and engageable with theupper edges of said plates, a pair of tension springs, each of saidsprings extending diagonally between the underside of one of saidrifiers and the lower end of said-shank, and an open-topped cylindricalreceptacle, said receptacle being centrally suspended from the undersideof said body portion.

10. An implement for forming a spiral groove in the wall of a previouslyexcavated cylindrical earth boring of which the wall functions as themold for a subsequently formed concrete pile, comprising a' bodyportion, means for rotating said body portion and means upon said bodyportion projecting outwardly therefrom and into the wall of said boringto form said groove upon actuation of said body portion and mechanismfor permitting said spiral groove forming means to yield uponencountering obstacles in advance of the groove to be formed thereby.

STUART G. RUDDELL. THOMAS FRASER.

